The development of an instrument to measure motivation for marathon running: the Motivations of Marathoners Scales (MOMS).

This study reports the development of an instrument to assess the motives of marathon runners. The Motivations of Marathoners Scales (MOMS) contains 56 items distributed across nine scales. Content areas covered included health orientation, weight concern, self-esteem, life meaning, psychological coping, affiliation, recognition, competition, and personal goal achievement. Adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha range .80 to .93), retest reliability (intraclass Rs range .71 to .90), and factorial validity of the scales were demonstrated. Assessment of the relationship between individual MOMS scales and other variables of conceptual relevance documents early evidence for the convergent and discriminant validity of the instrument. Future uses of the MOMS are discussed in light of theoretical, empirical, and practical considerations.